Supply rack holder for garment bags



April 21, 1959 R. H. cocHRANE 2,882,666

SUPPLY RACK HOLDER FR GARMENT BAGS Filed April 1o, 195s INVENTOR. RICHARD H. COC HRANE BY DES JARDINS, ROBLON 8 KEISER @www HIS ATTORNEYS SUPPLY RACK HOLDER FOR GARMENT BAGS Richard Homlin Cochrane, Cincinnati, Ohio, assignor to The Sydney-Thomas Corporation, Cincinnati, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application April 10, 1956, Serial No. 577,213

8 Claims. (Cl. 53-256) This invention relates to a supply rack holder for garment bags for holding them in position to be readily removed, one at a time, from the supply stack, to be pulled over a garment, hung in a convenient position on a conventional hanger, and it particularly pertains to a supply stack of plastic film garment bags, such as polyethylene and the like, for use in covering garments, such as in a dry cleaning establishment or other places where the garments are to be covered.

These plastic film bags are very flexible and pliable, and it is desired to support them in a spread-out, flat condition, free of wrinkles, and have them in that condition when applied to cover a garment. The plastic film is not rigid or stiff enough to be laid down at without wrinkling, and, when held suspended by the top ends, there is a tendency for the top ends to wrinkle and crease unless their top ends be supported throughout their entire width rather than at midpoint between their side edges.

Accordingly, one of the main objects of the invention is to suspend the bags with a substantial area of their top ends supported widthwise rather than being supported just at the midpoint where fastened to the stack supports.

Another object of the invention is a means for supporting and spreading the bags out at widthwise.

Another object of the invention is a means for supporting and spreading the bags out fiat widthwise to be readily removed from the stack, one at a time, in such widthwise spread-out, at condition, free of wrinkles.

Another object of the invention is a stack support in which the bags can be conveniently so arranged in a plurality of stacks.

Still another object of the invention is a convenient means for supporting the garment and air expanding the bags in being pulled over the garment.

Further objects, and objects relating to details of construction and economies of operation, will readily appear from the detailed description to follow. In one instance, the objects of the invention have been accomplished by the device and means set forth in the following specification. The invention is clearly defined and pointed out in the appended claims. A structure constituting a preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which:

Fig. l is a perspective view of one embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a detailed view.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the top end of a stack of bags adapted to be fastened to the rack holder.

Referring specifically to the drawings in which like numerals designate like parts, numeral 2 is a vertical post, preferably hollow, of any desired height, with its bottom end secured to the oor or to a base 3 by any conventional flanged collar 4.

A collar or ring 5 is vertically slidably mounted on the post 2 and provided with diametrically opposed openings 6 to register with one of any selected one of a plurality of openings 7 through the post and disposed at diterent elenited States Patent ice 2 vations. A pin 8 is inserted through the ring openings 6 and the selected post opening 7 to hold the collar at the desired elevation most convenient for the operator.

An inclined ledge 9 is secured to the ring 5 or to another ring 10 attached to the ledge 9 and also vertically slidably mounted on the post 2 to seat on ring 5. There may be one or several ledges 9 secured to the single ring 10, or there may be a separate ring for each ledge. The invention lends itself to several radially disposed ledges 9 attached to a single post engaging ring, or a separate ring for each ledge. The ledge is typified by a rod 11 having one end fixed to the ring 10 and a cross rod 12 connected to its free end. The rod 11 is inclined outwardly and downwardly from the post and is of substantial length, preferably at least equal to the length of neck end 13 of the plastic film bag 14 so that the cross rod 12 will be below said neck end of the bag.

The bags are of conventional structure made from tubular film stock, with the bottom wide end 15 open and the narrow top neck end 13 having a small top end opening 16 through which the hook end 17 of a conventional garment hanger may be projected.

The two top corners of the bag are cut away from the tubular blank to leave inclined the sloping edges 13 which are heat sealed to bond the sloping edges and leave the top opening 16. The bags are of conventional construction.

A pin 1S is fitted to the top end of the rod 11 and projects upwardly for holding the stack of bags (Fig. 3) which are clipped together by a conventional wire clip 19 and to a tab 20. The tab 20 is perforated at 21 for receiving the pin 18 to fasten the bag stack on the ledge. The neck ends of bag supply stack are held on the ledge with the open large end hanging down over the bottom end of the ledge. A bag is pulled free from the supply stack, one at a time, by the operator as needed, to be slipped over a garment 22 to be covered. By reason of the inclined ledge, the top ends of the bags are spread out flat, free from wrinkles, and are kept spread lout and smoothed as drawn, one by one, from the top of the stack. The cross rod 12 is well below the tapered top end of the bags.

It will be appreciated that by having a substantial area of the top ends of the bags supported on the cross bar 12 of the ledge, substantially all of the pull or stress by the Weight of the bags of the stack is removed from the pin 10 and the top area of the bags above said cross bar 12. Whatever stress there is in the top area of the bags above the cross bar 12 is spread out and distributed throughout the entire width of the top of the bags rather than concentrated lengthwise along the center line of the bags at which point the top ends of the bags are pinned to the ledge.

One or several ledges may be provided on the post, and radially disposed thereabout. Hence, stacks of one size bags may be placed on one ledge support, and other size bags on the other ledge.

These bag supports are particularly useful in dry cleaning establishments where the garments are cleaned, hung on a conventional garment hanger and then covered with a garment bag.

The bags are ordinarily supported at an elevation of about the height of the operator or easily within the operators reach for a bag to be pulled, one at a time, free from a stack onto a garment held by the operator or supported on a support for applying the garment bag.

A garment tree or holder 25 may be conveniently mounted on the base 3 of the bag rack, said garment tree or support being a tubular member terminating in a fan shaped nozzle 26. A hook 27 is provided near the nozzle end of the tree support for hanging the garment thereon. The tubular -tree support is connected to an air supply source, and a valve in the line can be operated by the foot pedal 28 for discharging a small amount of air into the garment bag for expanding same as it is pulled over the garment.

It will be understood that there may be various changes in details of construction without departing from the spirit of the invention, and, therefore, the invention is claimed .broadly as indicated `by the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and useful, and desired to be secured by United States Letters Patent, is:

1. A support `for lSupply Ystacks of garment bags comprising a vertical post, a radially disposed member slidably mounted on the post, means on said member adjacent the post to which the top ends `of v the bags o f the stack are adapted to be attached, and transverse means `on the end of said member remote from the post from which the bottom ends of the bags are adapted to be suspended with their top end s draped widthwise `over the transverse means and supported thereon.

2. The support of claim 1 in which said slidable member is sloped downwardly and outwardly from the vertical post above the transverse means.

3. A support for supply stacks of garment bags comprising a vertical post, a downwardly and voutwardly radially disposed member slidably mounted on said post, means for securing said member at a selected elevation on said post, a ,pin on said member adjacent ,the post to which the top ends of the bags of the stack are adapted to be attached, and a cross arm on the bottom end of said member over which a supply of bags is adapted to be draped with the top ends detachably secured to said pin and over which the top end of a bag is adapted to be drawn from the stack.

4. The support of claim 3 provided with a plurality of radially disposed Amembers of the construction set forth in claim 3.

5. A support for a supply stack of garment bags comprising a vertical post, a downwardly and outwardly radially disposed member mounted on said post, means for securing said member ,to Said post, means on said member adjacent the post to which the top end of a 4 rstack of bags 1is adapted to be secured, and a cross arm on the bottom end of said member over which the stack of bags is adapted to be draped with the top end of said stack of bags secured to said means and the top end of a bag is adapted to be drawn from the stack.

6. A tubular garment tree supported on a base with its top end terminating into a fan shaped nozzle through which air is adapted to be discharged, a hook for a garment hanger fixed adjacent the nozzle, and a foot pedal operated valve for feeding air to the nozzle of the garment tree.

7. A support for supply stacks of garment bags, comprising a vertical post and a tubular garment support tree mounted on a common base, said garment tree terminating in a top nozzle end, a downwardly and outwardly radially disposed member slidably mounted on the post at an elevation above the top of the garment tree, a pin on said member adjacent the post to which the top ends of the bags of the stack are adapted to be attached, a cross arm on the bottom end of said member above the top of garment tree over which a supply of bags are adapted to be draped with their top ends detachably secured to said pin and over which the top end of a bag is adapted to be drawn from the stack down over the nozzle end of the garment tree, and a foot pedal operated valve for feeding air to the garment tree.

8. A support for a supply stack of garment bags from which said bags are adapted to be withdrawn as used for bagging `garments comprising a vertical post, a transverse means connected to the post over which a stack of bags is adapted to be draped with their bottom ends spread widthwise and suspended to be drawn from the stack over a garment, and means to which the top ends of the bags are connected and from which they are pulled free to be withdrawn trom the stack over the transverse means.

References Cited in the ile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 750,803 Burnside et al Feb. 2, 1904 1,374,495 Etan Apr. 12, 1921 2,089,868 Williams Aug. 10, 1937 .27,747,824 Darnell May 29, 1956 

